Evacuation as Calbuco volcano erupts in Chile

The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile has erupted twice in the space of a few hours - having lain dormant for decades.

在休眠几十年后，智利南部的卡尔布克火山几小时间喷发了两次。

Footage from the area shows a huge column of lava and ash being sent several kilometres into the air. The authorities have declared a red alert and evacuated more than 4,000 people within a 20km (12 mile) radius.

该地区的录像显示，大量的火山岩和火山灰弥漫在空气中数千米。当局宣布了红色警戒并将方圆40公里的4000多人疏散。

The Calbuco volcano is one of the most active in Chile, but its eruption took officials in the area by surprise.

卡尔布克火山是智利最活跃的火山之一，但这次的喷发令当地官员大吃一惊。

Alejandro Verges, an emergency director for the region, said Calbuco had not been under any special form of observation.

该地区紧急情况指导员亚力山卓·维基斯说道，据观察，卡尔布克火山没有任何异常。

The inhabitants of the nearby town of Ensenada - along with residents from two other smaller communities - have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Schools in the area have been shut and some flights cancelled.

附近小镇恩西纳达的居民和其他两个小居民区的民众已经接到撤离命令。学校已经停课，一些航班也已取消。

The nearby city of Puerto Montt - a gateway to the popular Patagonia region - has already been blanketed in a cloud of ash.

附近城市蒙特港，巴塔哥尼亚地区的大门，也已笼罩在一团火山灰中。

TV footage showed traffic jams in the city and long queues at petrol stations. The nearby town of Puerto Varas was also under a state of alert.

电视影像显示，城市交通堵塞，加油站排起长队。附近的巴拉斯镇也处于警戒状态。

Mayor Gervoy Paredes said residents were "very, very frightened".

市长帕雷德斯说居民们“非常非常害怕”。

"I had never seen this before. It scares you in the beginning. You start to wonder what is going to happen to you," said one unnamed woman. "Everyone starts to think about gathering water and I don’t know what. We got together with the neighbours to see what we would do and wait for news over the radio because we knew that they were evacuating Ensenada and other places near the volcano."

“之前我从没见过这个。开始会很害怕，开始想知道将会发生什么。”一位不知名的女士说道。“所有人都在想存水，但我不知道。我们和邻居在一起，看看我们能做些什么，等着收音机里新闻，因为我们知道恩西纳达和靠近火山的其他地方居民都在撤离。”

Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo called on people affected to "remain calm and stay informed".

内政部长呼吁灾区民众“保持冷静和随时待命”。

Neighbouring Argentina has also put emergency measures in place for the city of Bariloche - about 100km from Calbuco - where ash clouds are expected. Residents there have been warned to stay indoors.

邻国阿根廷也对巴里罗切市（距卡尔布克火山约100千米）采取紧急措施，因为火山灰有可能蔓延到此。警告该地居民呆在家里。

Chile has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia, with about 500 that are potentially active.

继印度尼西亚之后，智利拥有世界上第二大火山链，潜在活火山约500座。

It is southern Chile’s second volcanic eruption in as many months. In March, the Villarrica volcano erupted in the early hours of the morning, spewing ash and lava. The authorities say this latest eruption is more serious.

近几个月来，这是智利南部第二次火山喷发。三月，维利亚里卡火山在凌晨时分喷发，喷出大量火山灰和火山岩。官方称最近的这次喷发更加严重。

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来源:BBC英语新闻爱语吧作者:Lucia